Roofing in Qatar

Qatar's traditional houses, forts and mosques have flat roofs built in layers on imported mangrove poles, a method documented in detail for Qatar. Qatar also developed the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), a green building rating system used for its 2022 World Cup stadiums.

Climate and hazards

Qatar's desert climate made flat roofs predominant; traditional design concentrated on shade and ventilation, with wind towers in some towns. Clay roofs and mud bricks were vulnerable to rain and needed regular maintenance.

Roofing history

Traditional towns. Walls were of rough stone bound with clay, later with gypsum mortar and plaster; coral slabs of about 70 x 50 x 7 cm (28 x 20 x 3 in) were used for walls, niches and lintels. Inland Qatar was influenced by the Najdi architecture of central Arabia.

Forts. Al Zubara Fort, built in 1938, has traditional wooden ceilings and is part of the UNESCO-listed Al Zubarah site.

Modern. Qatar's GSAS, originally named QSAS, was developed in 2007 by the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) and is described by its developers as the first performance-based rating system in the Middle East and North Africa.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Layered flat roof: danshil mangrove poles, imported from East Africa and valued for weather resistance, form the beams; above them are mangrove mats, split bamboo (baszhil, from India and East Africa) or palm mats, with palm fronds (duun) as an alternative; the whole is covered with clay. Dried palm trunks were also used but carry less load. See chandal-roof.
• Mosque galleries: covered with thin danshil logs or heavier squared timber (khashab al-murabaa), often with bamboo or reed lattice ceilings.
• Majlis ceilings: mangrove and palm, often painted with geometric patterns.
• Wind towers: Al Wakrah has more historic wind towers than any other Qatari settlement.
• Barasti: palm or reed shading (see barasti).

Roofing today

Flat reinforced concrete roofs dominate.

Codes, standards and regulation

• GSAS: an eight-category, lifecycle, performance-based system covering design, construction and operation; a fourth edition was announced in 2019. FIFA endorsed GSAS for Qatar's eight 2022 World Cup stadiums.

Notable roofs

• Al Zubarah Archaeological Site (UNESCO), including Al Zubara Fort (1938) with wooden ceilings.
• Ar Rakiyat Fort: restored in 2022 with a new wooden ceiling in traditional materials.
• Al Wakrah: historic wind towers.

Local roofing terms

• danshil - imported mangrove pole beam
• baszhil - split bamboo laid over the beams
• duun - palm fronds
• khashab al-murabaa - heavier squared timber
• badjeer - ventilation openings

Sources and gaps

Detailed climate data, data on roofing material shares, information on modern roofing materials, Qatari construction specifications and industry, and details of whether GSAS certification is mandatory for particular building classes or sets roof-specific requirements were not found in published sources.